Category: Bacon

Korean BBQ Rice Bowls

Korean BBQ has been on my list to make for a while.  I was looking for something to grill for Father’s day that I could do hot and fast, as I did not have the patience for a long cook. I figured it would be a great time to give it a shot. Korean BBQ is traditionally cooked at the table by the diners on a small table top grill designed specifically for that purpose. You can use standard charcoal grill or even a gas grill in a pinch.  I used a Weber 22″ kettle (I have 5) with some Jealous Devil Max Xl Charcoal Briquets, and it worked great.

Meat For Korean BBQ

Korean BBQ includes several marinated meats including bulgogi (thinly sliced steak), kalbi or galbi (short ribs), and samgyeopsal (pork belly). For the samgyeopsal obviously I didn’t use pork, but I did have some beef bacon in the fridge I need to use up so it seemed like a good opportunity.  Ideally you would use fresh beef navel, but that can be hard to find, so I went with what I had. For the kalbi or galbi I used a thinly sliced mock tender from the chuck.  It is a poor man’s tenderloin, and if you slice it thin enough it works well for this application.

Garnishes

Traditional accompaniments eaten with Korean BBQ include several salads especially kimchi, a spicy fermented cabbage.  I wasn’t able to find kosher kimchi, and I wanted to make a quick version of my own.  For an approximation of kimchi I was able to find gochujang, a Korean fermented hot sauce, which I mixed with sauerkraut. If you can’t find gochujang, you can use sriracha as a substitute.

A sprinkle of scallions and toasted sesame seeds would also be appropriate here for some color, crunch, and to cut the richness and sweetness of the meat. While not traditional, I added some edamame (soy beans) still in the shell for a little freshness and a pop of color. I often eat  edamame straight from their pods as a snack, dipped in some spicy duck sauce. When you plate up, use a wide bowl.  Mine was too small, because that is what I had.

Don’t forget to check out some of our other Asian or BBQ recipes (great for the 4th of July)

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Kosher Korean BBQ Rice Bowl
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Kosher Korean BBQ Rice Bowl
Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
30 mins
 

A kosher version of a classic Korean meal, great for a twist on a summer BBQ.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, BBQ, Korean, Kosher
Keyword: BBQ, Korean, Korean BBQ, kosher
Servings: 2 People
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
Bulgogi (Thinly Sliced Steak) or Kalbi (Short Ribs)
  • 1 Pear (Use an Asian pear if you can find it, otherwise any pear will do) Peeled, cored, chopped, and blended smooth
  • 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp White Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
  • 3 Cloves Garlic Minced
  • 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 2 tbsp Mirin or Sherry
  • 2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
  • 1/2 lb Thinly Sliced Steak (Bulgogi)or Thinly Sliced Short Rib (Kalbi) Cut Across the Bones
Kosher Samgyeopsal (Beef Navel)
  • 1/2 lb Thick Cut Beef Bacon Raw beef navel would be more traditional but can be harder to come by
  • 2 Scallions Sliced Thin
  • Juice of 1 Lime
  • 1 tsp Gochujang (Sriracha will do in a pinch)
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
  • 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
Accompaniments and Garnishes
  • Black and White Toasted Sesame Seeds
  • Chopped Scallions
  • Frozen Edamame Still in the pod, steamed in the microwave
  • 2 Cups Cooked White Rice
Quick Kosher Kimchi
  • 1/2 Cup Sauerkraut
  • 1 Tbsp Gochujang (Sriracha will do in a pinch)
Instructions
Bulgogi (Thinly Sliced Steak) or Kalbi (Short Ribs)

  1. You can use the same marinade for bulgogi or kalbi. If you are making both you may want to double the recipe.

  2. In a large bowl combine the pear, brown sugar, white pepper, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin or sherry, honey, and toasted sesame oil. Add the steak or short ribs and allow to marinate for 1-4 hours

  3. Cook on a grill or on grill pan over high heat until nicely seared on each side,

Kosher Samgyeopsal (Beef Navel)

  1. In a large bowl combine the gochujang, scallion, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. Add the beef bacon and allow to marinate for 1-4 hours

  2. Cook on a grill or on grill pan over high heat until nicely seared on each side,

Quick Kosher Kimchi

  1. In a small bowl combine the sauerkraut and gochujang. Mix thoroughly.

Assembly

  1. Place you rice in a mound in a bowl. Top with your meat and garnish with kimchi, edamame, scallions, and black and white toasted sesame seeds.

Stuffing Waffles With Caramelized Onions and (Beef) Bacon

Stuffing WafflesAs I was trying to come up with a recipe for the Thanksgiving season, I was listening one of the Thanksgiving episodes of one of my new favorite podcasts BBQ Radio Network, when one of the hosts, Andy Groneman mentioned two magical words: “stuffing waffles”. Andy Groneman is a second generation pitmaster who won hundreds of awards including 25 grand champions and was named the reserve grand champion at 2008 American Royal, which is considered by many to be the World Series of BBQ.

As many of you know, I am the pitmaster of the kosher BBQ team 5 Dudes and A Vegetarian. I had the privilege of cooking next to Andy at the KC Kosher BBQ Festival. Not only is he a great cook, but he is an all around good guy. Once I heard Andy mention stuffing waffles, I knew I needed to make them so I reached out to Andy to make sure he was OK with me borrowing his idea. I highly recommend his podcast if you are interested in anything BBQ related.  Please check it out, subscribe via your favorite podcast player, and leave them a nice review.

This may reach you a little too late for Thanksgiving. That being said, there is no rule that says you can’t have stuffing the rest of the year.  Also, making your stuffing into waffles is a great way to use up leftover stuffing that maybe didn’t sell so well at your dinner table.  Stuffing waffles can also be used as bread for leftover turkey sandwiches. Finally, if you don’t have a waffle iron, you can form these into patties and fry them. Sort of like a Thanksgiving latke.

Don’t forget to check out some of out other Thanksgiving recipes:

Maple Pecan Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cornbread

Peking Duck For Thanksgiving

Ginger Lime Cranberry Sauce

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Stuffing Waffles
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 Stuffing Waffles With Caramelized Onions and (Beef) Bacon
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Hydration time
2 hrs
 

A crispy take on a holiday classic

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Holiday, Thanksgiving
Keyword: Bacon, mushroom, Stuffing, Thanksgiving
Servings: 12 Mini Waffles
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 6 Slices (Beef) Bacon
  • 6 Large Onions Diced
  • 3 Ribs Celery Sliced
  • 8 oz Sliced Mushrooms Washed and Stems Removed
  • 3 Cloves Garlic minced
  • 3 Cups 1" Bread Cubes Left out to stale for a day and lightly toasted in the oven
  • 3 Large Eggs Beaten
  • 2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
  • 2 tbsp Dried Sage
  • Vegetable Oil For sauteing
  • Cooking Spray To stop your waffles from sticking to the waffle iron
Instructions

  1. Place your (beef) bacon on a parchment lined sheet pan and place in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 400°F. The bacon should be crispy roughly when the oven reaches temperature. Allow the bacon to cool and chop in to small pieces and put to the side.

  2. In a large sauté pan add about a ½ inch of vegetable oil and add your onions. Sauté the onions over low heat until they are dark brown.

  3. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and celery to the pan with the onions and continue to cook until the celery and mushrooms begin to brown.

  4. In a large mixing bowl add the bread, vegetables, bacon, eggs, stock and sage. Stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit covered in the refrigerator to hydrate for two hours to overnight.

  5. Place enough stuffing to fill your waffle iron to fill it up and cook until crispy. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200°F oven. Top with your favorite gravy and enjoy.

 

Charcuterie Board on a Budget

Charcuterie BoardCharcuterie boards are all the rage today. They can make a beautiful centerpiece on your buffet or a great appetizer.  Charcuterie boards are made with high end meats, cheeses, smoked fish or even vegetables. Usually all the items are served cold. Chanie Apfelbaum the amazing blogger at Busy in Brooklyn makes some beautiful ones. You should definitely check some of them out:

httpss://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/falafeltaschen-board/

httpss://www.busyinbrooklyn.com/how-to-build-a-fish-board/

I recently was put in charge of the food for a fundraiser for my synagogue. One of the other committee members had seen some of Chanie’s boards and had asked if I could do something similar for the event.  I had done some small charcuterie boards before at home, but this was first time I had done one this large. Charcuterie boards can be daunting at first, but all you need to remember is they are really just high end deli trays.  In my past life I did plenty of catering and cold cut trays for large crowds are something I have a lot of experience with. With that persepctive, it was simply a matter of taking it up a notch.

That being said, since this was for a fundraiser, I needed to be budget conscious.  If you are not careful you can easily spend hundreds of dollars on a small board. I ended up doing a board with roughly 50 pounds of meat for a little less than $600.  This was plenty for our crowd of 100, along with the hot hors devours, and 2 soups we served. We probably could have fed 150 easily.

I’ll break down the whole process and costs:

The Board

You can buy some magnificent boards made out of all sorts of fancy materials. Being on a budget I decided to make my board myself. I started with a 1’X4′ piece of scrap ply wood that I got for free from Home Depot. Make sure whatever wood you use, is untreated.  You don’t want to use anything treated with chemicals in a food application. I sanded down the sharp edges, charred both the top and bottom surfaces with a torch for some aesthetic interest. I then treated it with mineral oil to provide a protective finish. Total cost about $5 in supplies because the wood was free.

Protein

Charcuterie Close UpHere is where things get interesting and potentially very expensive. I spent around $500 on protein for this project. We decided early on that we were going with fleishigs for this event, so high end cured meats were where it was at. When it comes to meat based charcuterie, there are two broad categories, ground or sausage products like salami and whole muscle products like pastrami and jerky.

Whole muscle products tend to be more expensive so I concentrated on ground products like sausages and salamis. It is always fun to give people something they can’t normally get, so I often look outside of Chicago for something special. I ordered about 30 pounds of meat from Wasserman and Lemberger in Baltimore which my brother-in-law was nice enough to fly back for me.

How Many Types of Salami Are There?

You want a good variety of items. I ordered four types of salami: super hot (red pepper flake), black pepper, Italian, and garlic. Alongside the salami I order two other types of sausages: chorizo, a spicy smoked sausage from Spain , and landejager, a German sausage made with red wine and spices. Lastly but certainly not least from Wasserman and Lemberger, I procured four types of their beef jerky: regular, spicy, teriyaki, and barbecue to use as accents on my board.  Jerky is fairly expensive so I didn’t buy a lot. It was received and and the first thing to be gobbled up. The Wasserman and Lemberger items were ordered a few weeks in advance so they some time to dry to point where it developed a nice chew, but didn’t get too hard.

Buying a little early also meant I needed to guess-timate at how much meat I would need. Being in Chicago I have access to some excellent products from Romanian Kosher Sausage Company  that I used to purchase the additional meat I need once I had a better picture of the number of people I was feeding. From there I bought some of their standard dried salami, beef sticks, and some smokey snacks (a sort of salami jerky of sorts)

Other Proteins

You can get really fancy with your protein choices and include things like (beef or lamb) bacon, (beef, veal, or lamb) pancetta, or coppa, but your costs will start to get much higher. Of course you could go with smoked fish such as different types of lox, whitefish, and sable.

If dairy is your thing, the types of cheeses out there are endless. Don’t be afraid to try something a little funky or runny. A baked brie is great, a little blue cheese is nothing to be afraid of, and a fresh mozzarella can be divine. I really love The Cheese Guy products, they have high quality products that are a little more interesting (in a good way) than what you see from most kosher cheese companies. The owner, Brent Delman, is also a super nice guy. Of course if you don’t need your board to be kosher you can do a combination of meats, fish, and cheeses.

Sides

While the meat is the star of the show, the sides are supporting actors that help bring the whole thing together. The bread and butter (pun intended) of charcuterie board sides are pickles. I used some dill chips and and some gherkins for what I would call your standard cucumber based pickles, but the possibilities are endless. I also included in this category some spicy giardiniera (a relish made of assorted vegetables) and olives. Again, you can get super fancy with olives if you have the budget, but I just used some fairly standard jarred pimento stuffed green olives that you can find in any major grocery store to keep costs down.

Let’s Add Some Crunch

Nuts are also a great item to add to a charcuterie board. They add some texture to the whole experience. A large container of mixed nuts from Sam’s Club or Costco works well. You can find flavored nuts but I think that can distract from the overall experience.

The final item I would place in this category are crackers.  Crackers are kind of the setting of a story. It’s not there to stand out but it’s needed to give the story structure. I used some basic generic snacker (AKA Ritz) style crackers along with some flavored Triscuits. Obviously there are countless varieties of crackers at all sorts of price points, but if you are trying to stay on a budget this is one place you can go with the cheaper options. Crostinis, thin slices of toasted baguette are often used instead of crackers, but I just didn’t have the time to make them for this event.

Other options that work nicely as sides are dried fruit that go well on a cheese board, or capers that compliment smoked fish.

Overall, I spent about $50 on sides.

Condiments

If you are going with a meat based board, different types of mustard are your go to condiments.  You can easily find yellow, Dijon, spicy brown, and honey in most major grocery stores.  Skip the fancy brands and even the large national brands and go with the generic or store brands. They will be cheaper and no one will know the difference. Save your money for the proteins.

Ketchup is a classic, although in Chicago it can be considered a crime. BBQ sauces can be fun and come in all varieties. If you like a some heat there are countless hot sauces that you can add to your charcuterie board.  Alternatively, for a cheese board, fruit jams are nice. Finally for fish, tartar sauce works well.

Things I would have done differently

Based on the number of people we had I could have definitely gone with less meat and saved a few bucks. We had plenty of meat left over.  I also should have gone with a larger board. In the future I may cover the whole table in butcher paper instead of using a board.  The board was piled super high with my meat. I had to put my condiments and sides next to it instead of on it.  While I love jerky, it was a bit too expensive for this application. Due to it’s price I didn’t have enough of it for it really make an impression.

If you like this post you might like: Mr. Peikes Goes to Seattle, Washington or the Time I Flew With 100 lbs of Meat

Tu BiShvat Challenge: Mergez Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Beef Bacon

Bacon Wrapped DatesThis coming Monday is Tu BiShvat, the Rosh Hashanah (New Years) for trees. Sort of an Abrahamic Arbor Day. Rachel has challenged me to come up with a date based recipe in honor of  Tu BiShvat.There is a custom to eat fruits from the Shiv’at HaMinim, the seven special species that Israel is known for growing. Dates are one of these seven species and are super versatile.  I have been in to quick and easy appetizers lately, and I thought a stuffed date would be a great follow up to my Ruben Flat Bread recipe.

Dates can be cloyingly sweet, so I wanted to go in a more savory direction. With me you can never get enough meat, so I both stuffed and wrapped my dates in it.  Mergez, a lamb sausage from North Africa , brings some nice spice to the dish, while the the bacon adds crispiness, salinity, and smoke. Together the two balance out intense sweetness of the dates nicely.

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Bacon Wrapped Dates
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Mergez Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Beef Bacon
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Cooling
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

A great quick appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.  The spice from the mergez, and the crispiness, salinity, and smoke from the bacon balance out the intense sweetness of the dates nicely.

Course: Appetizer, Hors d'oeuvre, Snack
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Keyword: dates
Servings: 12 Dates
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 24 Large Dried Dates Pitted
  • 24 Slices Bacon I use beef bacon to keep it kosher, but any type will work
  • 1 lb Uncooked mergez removed from the casing or ground lamb If using ground lamb see the mergez seasoning below
Mergez Seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 tbsp Ground Coriander
  • 1 tbsp Ground Fennel Seed
  • 1 tbsp Paprika Smoked if you have it
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Crushed Green Peppercorn Regular black pepper will work in a pinch
  • 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 5 Cloves Fresh Garlic Finely chopped
Special Equipment
  • Parchment Paper
  • Sheet Pan
  • Toothpicks
Instructions

  1. If using ground lamb instead of premade mergez, add all of the seasonings to the ground beef.  Combine thoroughly.  Your hands are the best tool for this job!

  2. In a frying pan or skillet brown the sausage or ground lamb, and allow to cool.

  3. The pitted dates should already have a slit in them.  Stuff each date with as much of the sausage or ground lamb that will easily fit, being careful not to split the date

  4. Wrap each date with a slice of bacon.  Feel free to trim the bacon to length if it goes around the date more then twice. Stick a toothpick through the date to prevent the bacon from coming loose.

  5. Place the dates on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Place in a cold oven and then set the oven to 350°F. Bake until the bacon begins to crisp.  Serve immediately.

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s Tu BiShvat date challenge recipe: Coffee Coconut Date Balls

First Night of Rosh Hashanah 5779 Menu Retrospective and Zucchini Leek Soup Recipe

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year was last week.  The the first night I usually go all out and make a huge meal and invite a ton of guests.  There are many traditional food that are often eaten at this meal, each with a symbolic meaning to ensure a good new year.  Often these foods are eaten on their own but I prefer to incorporate them into composed dishes. Some of these foods include:

  • Apples dipped in honey for a sweet year
  • Pomegranates so our merits increase, as the seeds of the pomegranate
  • Carrots, beans, or fenugreek so that we should increase our merits
  • Beets that our adversaries should be removed
  • Fish that we should be fruitful and multiply
  • Fish or Lamb Head so we should get ahead in life (or literally that we should be as a head and not a tail)
  • Dates that our enemies be consumed
  • Leeks or cabbage that our enemies be decimated
  • Gourds so that our merits be proclaimed to G-d

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah Zucchini SoupMenu

Usually on Rosh Hashanah I make a centerpiece dish like beef short rib or rack of lamb, but I went little easy on myself this year as I have been so busy this summer and just went with a french roast.  Below is my menu, with a few less dishes than usual:

Fish Course: Pomegranate Glazed Salmon with Roasted Beet Slaw (and Fish Head)

Soup Course: Zucchini Leek Soup (Recipe Below)

Meat: Sous Vide and Smoked French Roast With Apple and Fig BBQ Sauce

Chicken: Apple Wood Smoked Chicken

Sides: Roasted Butternut Squash, Date Salad with Honey Lime Dressing, (brought by Rachel)

Beef Bacon Wrapped Dates

Apple and Date Challah Dressing (Or is it stuffing or kugel, IDK)

Honey Roasted Carrots and Sweet Potatoes (AKA Tzimmes)

Sticky Green Beans

Dessert:  Caramel Apple Bundt Cake (made by my wife using a recipe from the cookbook Something Sweet by very talented  Miriam Pascal of the blog Overtime Cook).

To be honest with you, no one touched the chicken and the dates were a bit of a hard sell. People seemed to like the salmon and the roast.  The soup and green beans were also a hit.  The salad, carrots and sweet potatoes, and dressing (stuffing/kugel) seem to have a fairly standard response.  And everyone always likes dessert.

What are some of your favorite Rosh Hashanah dishes? Is there a dish that you make every year or a special recipe that has been passed down for generation in your family? Let us know in the comments below.

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Rosh Hashanah Zucchini Soup
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Zucchini Leek Soup
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

A hearty soup that couldn't be easier.  Can be made with chicken stock, or vegetable broth if you want to keep it vegan.

Course: Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine: Kosher
Keyword: Soup
Servings: 10
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 8 Large Zucchinis
  • 64 oz Chicken Stock or Vegetable Broth Homemade would be ideal but 2 cartons of stock or broth will work
  • 3 Large Leeks Tough green parts removed, white and light green parts sliced and cleaned
  • 4 Medium Potatoes Peeled and chopped
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • 1/4 lb Thinly Sliced Beef Fry or Bacon Optional
Special Equipment
  • Immersion (AKA Stick) Blender
Instructions

  1. Peel and slice 6 of the zucchini and all 4 of the potatoes. Slice the the peeled zucchinis, potatoes and 2 of the leeks in to 1/4" rounds. Reserve the other zucchinis and leek for later.  Make sure to clean the leeks thoroughly as they can be sandy. 

  2. Pour the chicken stock or vegetable broth in a large stock pot and add the sliced 4 potatoes, 6 zucchinis and 2 leeks.  Put over high heat and cook until the potatoes starting to break apart.

  3. Using the immersion blender, process until smooth.

  4. Slice the additional 2 zucchinis and the leeks in to 1/4" rounds and add to the soup.  Cook until the zucchini just start to soften. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  5. (Optional) Fry the beef fry or bacon in a pan or the oven until crispy.  Chop into small pieces and use to garnish the soup

 

Traditional Chicken Soup With (Kosher) Bacon Schmaltz Matzo Balls

When it comes to Passover (AKA Pesach), most families have more traditions than Fiddler on the Roof.  I was all set to make you a super traditional matzo ball with homemade chicken schmaltz and gribenes.  I figured this was going to be an easy challenge to beat Rachel at.  How could a vegetarian gluten free dish beat (to quote Walter from The Big Lebowski) “…three thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax”.  So I spent hours slowly rendering chicken skin to extract some liquid gold and produce crispy little chicken skin cracklings, and then…and then one of my kids spilled my schmaltz. All over the kitchen floor. Needless to say, I was not happy.

That is when I went in to problem solving mode.  What do I have in the house that is similar to schmaltz? That is where I completely broke with tradition and went to one of my favorite crutches, (kosher) bacon. Ask your Bubby, there ain’t nothing traditional about bacon. That being said, it does provide fat and crunch just like schmaltz and gribenes.

Let me know what you think of the recipe in the comments.  Also, let me know if you like my matzo ball soup or Rachel’s better.  You can find hers here: Minestrone Soup with Gluten-Free Matzah Balls

5 from 1 vote
Pho
Print
Chicken Soup
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
 

A classic kosher comfort dish.  It's good for what ails you, they don't call it Jewish penicillin for nothing. I don't like anything too fancy in my chicken soup so I stay away from things like zucchini and tomatoes, but if you like them feel free to add them, it won't hurt anything.  

One final note, your soup will never taste as good as your mother's for 2 reasons:

1. Memories are a strong force

2. She probably added some soup mix with MSG to give it that little something extra.

Course: Soup
Cuisine: Jewish
Servings: 1 Large Pot
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 4 Medium Carrots Peeled and cut into 1 inch rounds
  • 4 Ribs Celery Rinsed, tops and bottoms cut off and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 Large Sweet Potato Peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 Turnip Peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 Parsnip Peeled and cut into 1 inch rounds
  • 1 Onion Peeled and roughly chopped
  • Salt To taste
  • Pepper To taste
  • 1 Handful Dill
  • 1 Handful Parsley
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 4 Chicken Leg Quarters Remove and save the fat and skin to make schmaltz
Instructions

  1. Put all the ingredients in your largest pot and fill with enough water to cover everything, making sure not to fill too high in order to prevent it from boiling over.

  2. Cover the pot and put over high heat and bring to a boil.  Once the soup is at a boil remove the lid and turn the heat down to a simmer.

  3. Let the soup simmer for about four hours or until the soup reduces by about 15%.

  4. Remove chicken from the bones, adding the chicken back in to the soup and discarding the bones.  Serve within a week or freeze for up to six months. 

5 from 2 votes
Print
Matzo Balls
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Jewish
Servings: 12 Small Matzo Balls
Ingredients
  • 1/2 Cup Matzo Meal
  • 2 tbsp Cold Chicken Stock
  • 2 tbsp Fat (Kosher) Bacon grease, chicken schmaltz, or vegetable oil
  • 1 Large Egg Beaten
  • 2 tbsp (Kosher) Bacon or Gribenes Chopped very fine
  • 2 quarts Chicken Stock For cooking the Matzo Balls
Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients except the 2 quarts of chicken stock in a large mixing bowl, stir with a large wooden spoon, ideally one passed down from your Bubby, until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Put the mixture in the fridge for about an hour to hydrate.

  2. Roll out the matzo balls just slightly smaller than a golf ball and cook in chicken stock for about 5 minutes. Serve immediately or remove from liquid and freeze.

Lamb Bacon Chili Shakshuka With Quail Eggs

Before you ask, yes you can may this with any type of bacon and eggs, it does not need to be lamb bacon or quail eggs.  I happened to have some excellent lamb bacon from CWS Meats and I also managed to find a local small chain grocery store that regularly carries kosher quail eggs.  I figured a kosher bacon and egg change would be a great one for me and Rachel.

Lately it has been wet, cold and gray in Chicago so I was craving something warm and hearty.  As we are getting close to Passover I did not want to buy any new ingredients, so I rummaged through my fridge and came up with this shakshuka recipe.  Shakshuka is generally made by simmering vegetables in a tomato sauce, and then carefully adding whole eggs and cooking they until the whites are set and the yolks are just warmed through.  Chili peppers are often added to the sauce to give it a kick.

This recipe can easily be scaled up and down for more people, or for that matter the size of your pan.  This recipe comes out wonderfully in  cast iron skillet, but a saute pan or a large frying pan will work in a pinch.

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s dish using the lamb bacon and quail eggs and let us know which you liked better in the comment.  Hers can be found here: Lamb Bacon French Fries topped with Quail Eggs and Chopped Parsley

5 from 1 vote
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Lamb Bacon Chili Shakshuka With Quail Eggs
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Mexican
Servings: 4
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 6 Slices Lamb, Beef, or Pork Bacon Diced
  • 1/2 lb Ground Beef
  • 1 Medium Onion Diced
  • 6 Medium Mushrooms Sliced
  • 1 Each Red and Green Pepper Diced
  • 15 oz Can of Tomato Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • Slices of Pickled Jalapenos For garnish if you like it hot
  • Torilla Chips
Instructions
  1. Put a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon, keeping the fat in the pan.
  2. Add the ground beef and cook until completely browned. Remove the ground beef, again leaving the fat in the pan.
  3. Add the onions and cook until the start to brown. Add the peppers and mushrooms and cook until the also start to brown.
  4. Add the tomato sauce, cooked ground beef, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer.
  5. Carefully add the eggs one at a time, being careful not break the yolks. Let the eggs cook in the sauce until the whites are set and the yolks are warm.
  6. Sprinkle on the bacon and garnish with the jalapenos and tortilla chips. Serve immediately.